Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Cantor M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4569709 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Cantor Maurício M Shoemaker Lauren G LG Cabral Reniel B RB Flores César O CO Varga Melinda M Whitehead Hal H
Nature communications 20150908
Multilevel societies, containing hierarchically nested social levels, are remarkable social structures whose origins are unclear. The social relationships of sperm whales are organized in a multilevel society with an upper level composed of clans of individuals communicating using similar patterns of clicks (codas). Using agent-based models informed by an 18-year empirical study, we show that clans are unlikely products of stochastic processes (genetic or cultural drift) but likely originate fro ...[more]